New World Monkey

Somalian Pirates in the Gulf of Aden

2011-02-24T17:03:00.002Z

Sugule Ali, "We don't consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits (to be) those who illegally fish and dump in our seas."

The recent activities of pirates in the Gulf of Aden has been well documented in all of the major newspapers worldwide. Many people take the view that the pirates are thieves who threaten death and rape in order to get easy money. Personally, I don't think the world works like that. People do things for a reason and, much as Hollywood would prefer us to believe differently, there are very few, if any, "bad guys". These pirates risk their lives everyday by taking part in these activities. Only the other day, pirates were shot by the US military resulting in the death of four American hostages. This is likely to result in an escalation of violence between the pirates and the various forces present in the Gulf of Aden. Up until now, the pirates have minimised any use of violence on hostages and, in incidences where hostages have died, the pirates have blamed it on friendly fire. Considerably more pirates have died than hostages. Whilst the fact is that these pirates have no right to kidnap people or threaten them with violence is not in any dispute, one does have to wonder why these young men would risk death or imprisonment in prisons far from their homeland? Obviously piracy is incredibly lucrative but in any country one can turn to crime and potentially end up wealthier than one would be by obeying the law. Yet most people tend to choose to follow the rule of law and take up gainful employment. That is where the problem lies, these men do not have the option to fish like their fathers used to.

From what I can see, the piracy stems from the civil war in Somalia which began in 1991. During the war there has been no coast guard to protect the coast of Somalia resulting in large scale fishing from foreign countries and the dumping of toxic waste along the coastline. The effects of the dumping of waste was not felt by the Somali people until December 2004 when the tsunami in the Indian Ocean resulted in huge waves which stirred up the time bomb lurking underneath their waters. Tonnes of nuclear and toxic waste had been illegally dumped in Somali waters by several European firms. The European Green Party investigated this and obtained contracts showing that a number of European companies had illegally dumped waste in that area and not just any waste, nuclear waste. According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment mission, there are far higher than normal cases of respiratory infections, mouth ulcers and bleeding, abdominal haemorrhages and unusual skin infections among many inhabitants of the areas around the northeastern towns of Hobbio and Benadir on the Indian Ocean coast—diseases consistent with radiation sickness. UNEP continues that the current situation along the Somali coastline poses a very serious environmental hazard not only in Somalia but also in the eastern Africa sub-region. So essentially, to ensure a better dividend for their shareholders, European companies sentenced the people of Somalia to decades of radiation sickness and massive environmental damage. What a nice thing to have to deal with whilst you are also suffering though a civil war.

To add insult to an already huge injury, at the same time as various firms were greedily dumping their waste, foreign trawlers began illegally fishing Somalia's seas, with an estimated $300 million of tuna, shrimp and lobster being taken each year, depleting stocks previously available to local fishermen. Now what would you expect the Somali people to do when this started happening to them? Just sit there and take it? Through interception with speedboats, Somali fishermen tried to either dissuade the dumpers and trawlers or levy a "tax" on them as compensation. Peter Lehr, a Somalia piracy expert at the University of St. Andrews says "It's almost like a resource swap, Somalis collect up to $100 million a year from pirate ransoms off their coasts and the Europeans and Asians poach around $300 million a year in fish from Somali waters." The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) issued a report in 2005 stating that, between 2003 and 2004, Somalia lost about $100 million in revenue due to illegal fishing.

To really darken up this whole sordid episode in March 2010, the international environmental organization ECOTERRA also alleged that newly-leaked information revealed that the anti-piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden serve as a cover-up for the live testing of recently developed less-lethal and sub-lethal weapons systems. The latter allegedly include Human Electro-Muscular Incapacitation (HEMI) Bioeffects devices that emit electrical waveforms for which it is not yet scientifically understood what are the long-term effects on a human body.

It is also interesting to note (for anyone reading this who is so right wing that they go "Oh yes but it's their fault that they don't have a coast guard"), that the civil war in Somalia kicked off because dissidents wanted to get rid of the pro-US President Said Barre. In a situation which uncannily mirrors the current situation in Egypt, just before the President was overthrown in 1991, nearly two-thirds of the country's territory had been granted as oil concessions to Conoco, Amoco, Chevron and Philips. Conoco even lent its Mogadishu corporate compound to the U.S. embassy a few days before the Marines landed.

So in summary, the Somalian people have had toxic waste dumped on their coast, suffer from radiation sickness, lost their livelihood and may be having weapons tested on them. This on top of struggling through a civil war which has resulted in Somalia being listed as an area of concern in the Genocide Intervention Network.

The average Somalian has had a mixed reaction to the pirates activities. Some people do not like having gangs of armed men hanging around drinking. Others feel that it has benefited their communities. The pirates spend their booty in local towns and even buy generators and other things for the local people. The independent Somalian news-site WardherNews found that 70% of Somalians strongly support the piracy as a form of national defence of the country's territorial waters. Even the people of Kenya have indirectly benefited with local fishermen reporting their largest catches in forty years. This has been attributed to the pirates scaring away foreign fishing trawlers. Marine biologists have also stated that the local fish environment is beginning to recover because ot the prevention of commercial fishing.

In short, it can all be summarised by this statement from the pirates' spokesman, Januna Ali Jama, "The Somali coastline has been destroyed, and we believe this money is nothing compared to the devastation that we have seen on the seas."

Karin Herzog Dynamic Duo - Dynamic Waste or Mirace Cure

2010-11-14T11:40:00.003Z

For the past two years I have been an occasional user of the Karin Herzog Dynamic Duo cellulite creams. It all started when I attended a business school in the UK and my roommate told me about how great it was.

I did some research and saw a range of case studies on various websites which seemed to show that Karin Herzog creams really do work. After a lot of deliberation I invested the most I've ever spent on a tube of cream and spent £45 on the Dynamic Duo set. The set comprises one large tube of Silhouette cream (a 4% oxygen cream) and Tonus B12 (a cream packed with various antioxidants and caffeine). The instructions were a bit misleading about whether to use Tonus B12 first or Silhouette first. I opted to spread a reasonable amount of Silouette on my thighs and stomach each evening after my shower. I then waited about 10 minutes to allow the Silhouette to absorb into my skin before rubbing in a small amount of Tonus B12.

I am a beauty cream skeptic generally so I had low hopes for what it would do to my rear. However, it really did seem to work. I don't have a lot of cellulite as I'm in my twenties and quite slender. I eat healthily and exercise moderately. I therefore know that my cellulite is mainly just a natural part of being a woman. I've seen all different types of women on beaches and almost all of them have a little bit of cellulite. I think it comes from the weight of my bottom pushing down on the tops of my thighs and compressing the fat there. Therefore unless I were to be a skeleton pumped with steroids to rid my body of all of the naturally occurring female fat or one of the lucky percentile who don't have it, I think cellulite will always be a part of my life. However, Karin Herzog Dynamic Duo does seem to really tone up, tighten and smooth my thighs.

I don't use it every day as I don't have the time. I just use it whenever I feel my thighs getting a bit wobbly. Recently though, I have started to worry about what is in the cream. The main ingredient is Hydrogen Peroxide and I'm not sure that putting it on my skin is a good idea so I have really dropped off in my use of it.

A few days ago I happened upon a great website called Paula's Choice. She is a skeptic like me who goes around the world investigating the reality of cosmetics and whether they actually work. I wrote her an email about the Dynamic Duo. I received the below email from one of her helpers:

Thank you for your email. Karin Hertzog’s Dynamic Duo is, unfortunately, just a dynamic waste of money where affecting cellulite is concerned. Cellulite cannot be changed by rubbing products into skin, vitamin B (or any antioxidant) or hydrogen peroxide will have no impact on the formation or breakdown of fat cells in the skin. Hertzog’s product duo blames cellulite on “toxins that block the capillaries, causing uneven, bumpy skin,” and that cellulite can be “washed away” with “trapped toxins.” This could not be further from fact.

Women have a unique skin structure, forming honeycomb connective fibers, which acts as a mold for fatty tissue to form the familiar pattern of cellulite. These connective tissues are too weak to prevent the dimpling of cellulite (there is some research that indicates that vascular changes may be to blame, but this is in its early stages and should be considered causal inference, at best.)

The claim of toxins as the cause of cellulite essentially follows that purging the body of pollutants is the answer, and there is no evidence to support that this is even possible. Detoxifying the body where science is concerned translates to a reduction in the cellular damage with a mixture of antioxidants or other enzymes that have proven capabilities of reducing undesirable cellular functions from occurring. There is certainly helpful for the body, but there is no evidence to support a connection to cellulite, and the benefits have no impact on fat accumulation when applied topically. Cellulite has no relationship whatsoever to toxins from the environment, but rather by accumulation of fat on the body because of caloric intake and exercise imbalance. That is not new knowledge, unfortunately!

The claim of detoxifying the body is an ironic one where Hertzog is concerned, as hydrogen peroxide has extensive research provide its ability to impede the production of healthy skin cells, and oxidizing agents have a destructive effect on the skin by causing free-radical damage. Hydrogen peroxide does function as a disinfectant, but the accumulative effects that result from using such a damaging substance to skin cells on a regular basis will result in cellular destruction and a reduced healthy cell function.

Hertzog’s Tonus B12 is just a collection of various conditioning agents and some antioxidants (its not known how much of each, as the ingredient list is not available on their website.) However, this is irrelevant as avocado, green tea, jojoba oil or any other antioxidant or conditioning agent will not have an impact on cellulite in any way. Skin cannot be “energized” by a skin care product applied topically.

I would recommend that you adhere to your initial reaction, that no skin care product can deliver miracles outside of what is scientifically possible, or evidentiary.

Pretty damning stuff. I don't know where I stand on this. I definitely think he's right - apart from the exercise and caloric intake bit because I'm pretty okay on both of those. On the other hand, I do notice an improvement when I use the creams. I think I will need do get a response from Karin Herzog.

If any of you guys have tried Karin Herzog Dynamic Duo or any other cellulite treatments then let me know!

Back from my studies

2010-11-14T11:26:00.002Z

It's been a long time since my last blog, I've been very busy taking my two ACA advanced stage exams. Having taken 12 exams already, in order to complete the ACA professional stage, I was pretty bored of the whole thing by the time my technical integration tuition started. Luckily one of my ACA tutors in Nicosia gave us all a relatively inspirational speech about the merits of passing these two first time so that all that would be left would be the case study.

I don't think I've ever done as much preparation for an exam as I did for these two. I studied every weekend and some nights after work too for about 6 months. By the time it came to the exams I knew the whole syllabus completely. However, there were massive building works going one next to my apartment and I sat my Business Reporting exam in a state of total sleep deprivation. You can also always rely on the ICAEW to mix it up and give you a paper that is different to any of the past papers or mocks. I really wonder what the point is of the ICAEW writing mock papers if they are not going to be representative of the real exam.

Needless to say Business Reporting may end up being one I have to retake. I think Business Change went okay but you never know. Fingers crossed.

Using decals to decorate

2010-06-02T13:11:00.005+01:00

Like many people my age, I live in a rented apartment. I really have no desire to leap into owning a house anytime soon. Much as owning my own little nook would be nice, I don't want to be tied to a mortgage or have to worry about maintenance. It's great to be free from owning any real furniture and it's great to know that I can leave my job without stressing quite so much. However, the one massive flaw in renting is that you can't decorate your apartment properly.

My apartment is white EVERYWHERE. I mean there is no colour at all. I could try painting small sections like cupboards - my landlord is not averse to the idea - but I don't want to invest in paintbrushes nor do I want to risk the serious mistakes that can happen with paint. I also live abroad and will be returning home at some point so I cannot invest in good paintings or wall hangings.

One day, loitering around on Etsy, I discovered wall decals. These are basically high-end stickers. You can buy them in numerous colours and designs and then just stick them on your wall. They are made from top quality self-adhesive vinyl and can be stuck to a wall and removed when you leave.

I did a quick search on etsy and found Byrdie Graphics - an etsy store specialising in wall decals and wall patterns. My purchase was incredibly cheap and Byrdie Graphics ship worldwide at very reasonable rates.

A couple of weeks later, my decals arrived with an instructional postcard as well as a tester decal of a small bird. I did the tester as advised and all went well. The main decals were quite tricky to put up. You need to make sure that you get them straight and centered which in itself can be quite hard. On top of that, they are seriously sticky once you have taken one side of the backing off. We nearly went wrong a couple of times but we got the hang of it and soon our breakfast bar was looking quite a lot jazzier than it had that morning. We did get a few air bubbles but they are only visible if you look very closely.

The decals even got the sniff approval from our cat Scampi.

Horseriding at Drapia Farm, Cyprus

2010-05-25T13:11:00.002+01:00

On saturday, I went horseriding at Drapia Farm in Cyprus. It was my birthday treat organised by my lovely fiance. Unfortunately, I think I may have given him the impression that I was a more experienced rider than I am.

We turned up to Drapia Farm in Kalavassos on saturday morning and were greeted by a couple of young girls. To be honest they weren't the most friendly bunch. I explained that I am not a very experienced rider. I swiftly found myself on a horse with very little guidance. From the start, I had a bit of a bad feeling about my horse as she kept wondering off and ignoring me when I pulled on her reins. Our "instructor" left me alone with my horse and on her return, I asked her for some help. I think German was her first language and I didn't really understand her english. There was no explanation of the trail we would be following or anything like that. Our instructor rode ahead with a friend and we were left behind slightly clueless as to where we going or what we were supposed to be doing.

It all seemed to be going pretty well. Then I suddenly found myself sprawled on the floor in agony. It turned out that our horses had been given a fright from a rock falling off the cliff next to us. Falling of a horse is really scary and very painful. Luckily, I didn't hurt myself too badly. I have some very bad bruises and for a few days I had a sore back and neck.

To be fair, accidents happen with horses and when you get on a horse, you take the risk that you might fall off it. However, for the amount it costs to go riding at Drapia Farm, I think the service was pretty poor. It doesn't cost much to be friendly and give a little bit of proper tuition. I certainly wouldn't ride with them again and I wouldn't recommend riding with them unless you are very experienced.

The Valley of the Roses, Agros, Cyprus

2010-05-17T08:22:00.005+01:00

On Sunday, we went to the Rose Festival in the small village of Agros in Cyprus on the foothills of the Troodos mountains. The drive up was gorgeous, all the flowers were out and the mountains were verdant and fresh – a pleasant reprieve from the heat of Nicosia. Driving in the troodos is always a bit scary thanks to all the people driving too fast or too slow along the windy mountain roads. We finally made it to Agros and had a delicious lunch at the main taverna in the village. You can sit outdoors under the shade of a huge tree whose branches spanned the entire seating area of the taverna. As it was Sunday, there was a set menu of souvlaki (rotisserie pork, lamb or chicken). We ordered souvlaki with green beans, greek salad, dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), fresh yoghurt and olives washed down with some local wine. The food was really good although a little pricey.

Afterwards, suffering from the accompanying sugar low of a large meal, we headed off to find the rose festival. Like most things in Cyprus, it wasn’t very easy to find. Eventually we got there – take the first left before the high school (the modern building with a green roof) - and follow the road down. First stop was the rose house of Agros which is home to the Venus Rose range of bio-certified organic rose products. All the roses are grown locally and harvested in May at dawn. The petals are distilled using by hand. It takes a lot of rose petals and a lot of work to produce even a tiny drop of pure rose essence.

We were given a guided tour of the venus rose range by Christakis Tsolakis who owns the company. It is a family business which has been running since 1948. Chris demonstrated the rose water cleanser which really did seem to work miracles. My skin was left cool, soft and very clean. We also got to try some of their local rose liquer, rose aperitif and rose wine. Chris was a charming if slightly eccentric guide. His demonstration of the flammability of the rose perfume certainly put me off buying it! The Venus Rose range is distributed worldwide which is incredible for a little company based in a mountain village. However, it is easy to see why people would want to buy it. There is no animal testing, no parabens and the ingredients are all organic and natural. The Venus Rose range is very ahead of its time!

The best thing about the tour is that you are under no pressure to buy anything. The shop is in a separate part of the building and you are left to browse alone at leisure or to leave empty handed. Unfortunately, we missed the main events of the rose festival but we were shown a video of the proceedings and it definitely looks worth visiting. The festival takes place in May each year.

Click here if you are interested in buying from their range.

Made my first treasury on etsy

2010-05-14T08:27:00.002+01:00

Today I managed to finally be on Etsy at exactly the right time to make a treasury. My treasury theme is Mediterranean Dreams and it contains lots of gorgeous items to get you into a summery mood. Please take a look at it and leave a comment if you can.

First donation to Argos Animal Shelter

2010-05-12T06:28:00.002+01:00

At the weekend, I made my first donation to Argos Animal Shelter Cyprus. It wasn't a lot of money, just 20% of my profits so far on my jewellery sales. I think it will still make a difference as it was enough to buy a couple of bulk bags of animal food.

Argos Animal Shelter looks after more than 200 abandoned cats and dogs. They really need all the money that they can get! Hopefully people will keep on buying jewellery and I can keep on giving donations.

Sale at New World Monkey Jewellery

2010-05-06T19:15:00.002+01:00

I've just launched a sale section in my etsy shop where you can buy some pieces from my collection at greatly reduced prices. Don't forget that 20% of all profits go to helping animals in Cyprus. Happy shopping!

A visit from the Mormons

2010-05-06T07:50:00.000+01:00

Last night we were visited by representatives of the church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-Day Saints AKA the Mormons. Having recently read an article from the Sunday Times about their programme of sending young people around the world to spread the word, their visit was a bit like bumping into a celebrity for me.

We were making our dinner at about 6.30pm when we heard a knock. Given we only know about 10 people in this country, we tend to assume someone knocking on the door is asking us to move our car in the car park. My boyfriend answered the door and there were two young men dressed in shirts and ties with little backpacks on. They both looked very neat and nervous. They each had a little name tag written in Greek.

My instinctive thought was – don’t let them in, they will try to brainwash us! Luckily my boyfriend is slightly friendlier than me. They stood in our entrance way for a while explaining that they were representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-Day Saints. I asked the obvious. Apparently Mormons is their nickname. Even our usually feral kitten was silently watching them next to us. Usually he runs and hides from visitors but obviously even he found them to be quite gentle.

We invited them in and ended up having a very enjoyable chat with them about their work in Cyprus. These young men had saved $10,000 each in order to have the opportunity to spread the word during a two year stint abroad. The one man was from Utah and the other from Germany. They both spoke fluent English as well as Greek. Quite incredible considering that Greek is a hard language. They were quite disappointed that people in Cyprus seldom actually talk with them in Greek but instead respond in English.

Intriguingly, they have actually managed to convert some Greek Orthodox Cypriots to the Mormon faith. Certainly, their visit helped me to learn about a religion that I know little about and it probably does result in the occasional conversion. They were not pushy in their methods but instead were happy to just answer any questions and provide information. I definitely have more respect for a religion where believers actually do something for their faith.

How to set up domain name forwarding

2010-04-09T07:40:00.000+01:00

Having recently started selling on Etsy and Dawanda, I made myself some business cards to send out with my orders. However, www.newworldmonkey.etsy.com is not exactly catchy, neither is www.dawanda.com/shop/newworldmonkey. What I really needed was a succinct domain name. It’s also very useful for advertising as it looks more professional to have a proper domain name. I’m not very experienced at these things and I assumed that if I bought a domain name, I’d have to buy hosting and build a website. Luckily, it turns out that you can create a domain name and then forward it to a url of your choice. Here’s how to do it:

1) Find out what domain names are available. I am from the UK so I opted to use www.daily.co.uk which has a special offer on at the moment where domains are half-price. A lot of Americans recommended www.godaddy.com
2) Most of the good domain names are gone. I’m no expert but, based on my research, it seems that the best thing is to get a .com or failing that a .co.uk. You should write down all the possibilities available to you and compare them. A brief, catchy domain name is best but catchy is more important than brief. You also want to include your keyword in your domain name to optimize it.
3) I managed to get www.bohemian-jewellery.com for 10 GBP for 2 years. It doesn’t include my brand name but it is easy to remember and includes my two main keywords.
4) Daily offered me quite a few things to pay extra for. I think it’s best to opt out of everything and buy it later if you find that you need it.
5) Make sure that your domain name is registered in your name.
6) Once my domain name was set up, I went into my control panel on daily and clicked on domain forwarding. I then entered my etsy site and filled in the meta tags and meta description. Daily has a very good guide on this which they provide a link to when you set up domain forwarding.

Now if you go on www.bohemian-jewellery.com it automatically will take you to www.newworldmonkey.etsy.com. I hope this helps, please comment if you have any questions.

Vienna in spring

2010-04-06T06:53:00.007+01:00

Vienna is the perfect city to visit in springtime, the sun is bright but not strong and the air is crisp and fresh; perfect for walking around and admiring the magnificence of the city.

We got to Vienna from Cyprus using Blueair. We had a lot of problems booking online with Blueair but eventually we managed to do it. It cost us about 190 euros return each but it would have probably been cheaper if we had left it to closer to the time or if we hadn't gone at easter. Unfortunately, if you have a cat and a full time job, flexibility isn't always easy!

The flight was about 3 hours long. Blueair's flight staff are very pleasant for a budget airline. We arrived in the airport and asked tourist information for help on getting into the city centre. The transfer was incredibly easy, there are regular buses into the city centre and the journey takes about 35 minutes. It costs 11.50 euros return for the transfer. There is also a high speed train connection which takes 15 minutes but is slightly more expensive.

We stayed at the Arcotel Wimberger which is right next to West Banhoff station which is where the bus drops you and seems to be the main train station in Vienna. We got a great deal on the Arcotel Wimberger through Lastminute; it averaged at about 53 GBP per night which is a good price for a luxury hotel. The Arcotel Wimberger is not the most beautiful hotel but it is well located and very peaceful once you are inside. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The hotel has a full fitness and leisure suite with a gym, indoor pool and sauna. Unfortunately, we forgot our swimwear!

When you live in a country like Cyprus, Vienna seems wonderfully elegant and peaceful. The people are very quiet and polite - always quick to offer help if you seem lost. None of the endless chattering of the Mediterraneans! The city centre is a UNESCO world heritage site and is incredibly beautiful and well-maintained.

Getting around Vienna is easy. There are trams and an easy to use underground train system. A ticket on the underground is 1.80 euros - although no one ever seems to check your ticket and there are no barriers. If found without a ticket you will get fined 70 euros so be careful. However, most of the time you can just walk everywhere. I would recommend getting the underground to Graben street on your first day and then walking from there. Graben is the main shopping street and is right in the very centre of the city. All around you there are beautiful buildings and most of the shops themselves are housed in gorgeous buildings. It's worth taking a look at the H&M on Graben street as it's housed in a beautiful old wood-panelled building.

It's also worth looking at the butterfly house as it's located in an exquisite glass building - it's next to the Mozart memorial. There is a tram that circles through most of the main sites, I think it's the number 1 tram.

In Vienna each district is called a bezirk and most of the main sites are in the 1st bezirk (the centre), if you have time, it's also worth looking at Joseph Stadt as it has a few vintage stores and some less touristy bars and cafes.

Definitely the best thing about Vienna is the Naschmarkt. Get the U4 line to Kettenbrueckengasse. When you come out of the station you will be in the section of the market for antiques and basically tat. Head to your right, towards the Secession building, and you will hit the food section of the market. It is incredible. There are stalls selling all manner of delicacies, fruits, chocolates and wines. There are lots of stalls where you can take a seat and order a plate of nibbles with prosecco. At the edge of the market, there are a number of mini-restaurants serving Austrian, Asian and Mediterranean food. The prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is really good.

When you are in Vienna, you must visit one of the traditional coffee houses. I would recommend going to Cafe Sperl on Gummpendorf strabe. All the cafes are wonderful and make you feel like you have stepped onto the set of an Agatha Christie novel. Waiters wear black tie and most of the cafes have chandeliers and lovely high ceilings. The coffees are wonderful - I recommend trying the Marie Therese which has orange liquer in it. Most cafes have a selection of cakes available - try the sachertorte or strudel with vanilla sauce.

We were in Vienna for two days and we found that that was just enough time as, unless you love museums, there is not that much to do there. However, it's a perfect destination for a relaxing weekend of beautiful scenery and tasty food!

Max Mara Discount Store, Nicosia

2010-03-27T17:34:00.007Z

I recently discovered the Max Mara discount store in Nicosia. It is amazing! Like most people with an average job, I never thought Max Mara would be in my price-range, then I discovered this mecca of discount fashion.

The shop is hidden away above Marella on Mnasiadou street, just off Makarios Avenue. You have to go down the alleyway on the righthand side of Marella and you will see a small door to your left. Go up the stairs and there it is.

The shop stocks discount clothes from the whole Max Mara group:

Max Mara is the most expensive line with grown up tailored clothes and evening dresses.

Sportsmax is the slightly cheaper line with weekend casual clothes.

Marella is also slightly cheaper and is less high fashion than Max Mara.

Max & Co is aimed at young women and is a bit more hip than the rest of the clothes.

Marina Rinaldi is plus-sized clothes.

The Max Mara discount store in Nicosia contains some amazing bargains - such as a range of shoes reduced from hundreds to 40 euros. I got a gorgeous coat for only 50 euros reduced from hundreds. There are suits, knitwear, bags, jewellery and perfume.

Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies

2010-03-26T17:00:00.002Z

I recently made cookies for the first time; I usually make biscuits and a rather leaden shortbread. Anyway, I amalgamated a number of recipes in order to bake some peanut butter and nutella cookies. They worked out so well that when I offered them to my colleagues at work, they were all begging for the recipe. The best thing about this recipe for peanut butter and nutella cookies is that you don’t need a weighing scale. Also, don’t be put off by the name; the resulting cookies have a subtle flavour which tastes more of orange, nuts and caramel. Here it is in all its glory. It’s a rough recipe so don’t feel that you have to stick with it exactly and if you discover any ways to improve it then please leave a comment!

You will need:
Approximately 100g of butter – I didn’t have weighing scales so I used just under half of a 225g pack of butter
One cup of caster sugar – a small coffee cup should do (not a mug)
3 tablespoons of nutella
One orange with the skin on
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, you’re call)
One egg
At least half a pack of plain flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder

• Mix together in a large bowl the caster sugar, butter, nutella and peanut butter. You can use a wooden spoon and your muscles or a whisk. I just used a spoon and it was fine (and I’m a small woman).
• Once you have a smooth mixture, grate in the skin of the orange. Mix some more.
• Whisk the whole egg.
• Add half the egg to the main mixture. Add about one cup of plain flour (sieved) with one teaspoon of baking powder.
• Mix until smooth.
• Add the rest of the egg and more sieved flour as necessary. The flour doesn’t have to be measured exactly. Just keep adding small amounts of flour until you have a firm, smooth dough which isn’t too sticky.
• Cover the mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Take out the mixture and shape into 1 inch dough balls. Place them on a plate. Put topping on them. I put half an almond on some and a lump of chocolate on some (just normal Cadburys chocolate).
• Refrigerate the uncooked cookies for another 15 minutes. You don’t have to put the dough in the fridge but if you want soft, chewy cookies; I’d advise doing it. If you don’t refrigerate them then you will get a more crisp biscuit.
• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Place the cookies on baking paper – do not grease it.
• Put them in the over for about 15 minutes but check them regularly. You are aiming for them to be gently baked on the outside and slightly soft inside.
• Let them cool and store them in an airtight container.

This is a great recipe because you can play with it. I am adding nutmeg to my next batch!

Cypriot Jewellery

2010-03-12T08:15:00.004Z

One of the things that one notices in Cyprus, is how much the women love jewelry. Obviously, women everywhere love jewellery but Cypriot women really love it. With their warm colouring, they are also able to wear pretty much any kind of metal.

It therefore comes as no surprise to learn that there have been many unearthings of ancient jewellery in Cyprus.

Around 750-500 B.C. the most popular form Cypriot jewellery was spiral earings of solid metal, which were worn by both men and women. These spirals are found in varying sizes and metals, and some have elaborate ornaments.

The spirals rings tended to be made of bronze, silver or gold-plated bronze. The combination of bronze and gold in jewellery was a Cypriot speciality.

It is interesting that both men and women wore jewellery in Cyprus at this time.

Another popular style of jewelry at this time in Cyprus was these sort of strange elongated hoops.

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Cypriot jewellery lost its distinctiveness and is often mistaken for Greek and Roman jewellery. The increased levels of trading meant that more gemstones and pearls were incorporated into pieces. The levels of craftsmanship increased hugely and the number of different styles grew.

Tetris Jewelry

2010-02-14T15:00:00.004Z

Valentines day has hit us. For women I think the importance of the day and our relationship with it is formed at school. Ask any woman and she will have some story of a school V-day experience. The disappointment of not receiving a card, the humiliation of roses being handed out to the popular girls, the injustice of some very undeserving girl getting flooded with gifts. During those hormonal days, Valentines day seemed like a day designed to emphasise your success (or lack of success) with the opposite sex.

By the time you actually have a partner with you on Valentines day, it has been built up in your mind as this day of wonder that other people have been enjoying each year whilst you have been sitting at home watching bad TV. I genuinely think it is this build up that means women have such high expectations of the day. I am very lucky in that my partner is a very considerate man who always plans something even though he doesn't believe in the day. However, if your partner disappoints you then try to focus on all the many things that they do do for you on all the other days of the year. Generally, men who are good at the big gestures are not good at the real things that count. You only have to look at the fact that footballer John Terry is planning a big surprise for Toni Terry and has given her 100 red roses. I know that I would rather have a partner who is there to support me than a partner who sleeps around but buys me lots of gifts.

On that note, I've found the perfect gift for a tetris fanatic to give to his special lady next gift-giving time. Tetris has designed a range of jewellery based around the little tetris shapes. They do have a pleasant simplicity to them and would no doubt be happily worn by women who like nostalgic, ironic items. However, I am very disappointed to see that the colours are not quite as bright as those of the tetris game.

Live beetle worn as jewellery

2010-01-21T19:04:00.006Z

You put on your outfit in the morning and you think "blah this needs a bit of bling". Most of us ladies reach for a necklace or perhaps a brooch. One woman decided that what she really needed was a bit of moving sparkle for when she made the border crossing from Mexico into the United States. That way people would be so distracted by the glittery, scuttling thing that they wouldn't notice her muffin top, bad hair or perhaps dodgy documents. Unfortunately for her, the distraction attempt didn't work and she got stopped by customs officers. Turns out you need live plant pest importation documentation if you want to take your living jewelry around with you. Glad to know that if you ever want to import a pest, you just need the right documentation. I'll be rounding up some cockroaches to take to Rush Limbaugh's house next time I'm in the U.S.

The woman got off with a mild ticking off and the confiscation of her "gem". Personally, I think she should have been prosecuted for animal cruelty and forced to try having some gems stuck to her skin with superglue.

Environ-Mental

2010-01-10T18:21:00.009Z

An icelandic jewelry designer, Hafsteinn Juliusson, has come up with a novel way to bring nature into the lives of city dwellers. Juliusson has designed a range of rings which are inset with icelandic moss. The rings have to be watered regularly and can last up to six months if they are looked after.

Juliusson states that the collection is an "experiment in drawing nature toward man, as nature being the presupposition of life." The rings cost £480 each.

Juliusson has definitely come up with something unique and wearing one of his rings would most likely get you attention. However, one does wonder how the ring would survive through day to day life - washing your hands, getting dressed, putting on your coat. Most likely you would end up paying £480 for a ring that after two days has a large hole in it with a few bits of soil.
For more information about Iceland visit http://www.icelandic-traveller.com/

Human Jewellery

2009-11-17T10:35:00.007Z

Perhaps this christmas, you may find yourself trying to find a gift for the person who has everything. You will have trawled the net and the streets to find something quirky and unique and just right for them. If this person that you are shopping for also has a taste for the macabre, then I might just have found the perfect gift for you to give them. Both environmentally friendly and one of a kind, jewelry made from human parts could be the answer to your yuletide quest.

An Australian jewellery designer called Polly Van der Glas has come up with a collection of jewellery made from human teeth and hair (sterilised of course). These teeth rings would definitely be a conversation starter if worn on a date or basically anywhere in public.

These hair bracelets are slightly more discrete

and may be a good way to wean people off chewing their hair.

However, the best bit of the collection is this delightful hair purse. Take care not to hold it anywhere in front of your crotch or chin area - it could rather confuse people.

Aren't we all glad that there are people out there

with the time and the inclination to keep pushing style boundaries?

How to make Christmas less expensive

2009-11-11T14:29:00.004Z

Having recently taken in a stray kitten, my spare cash has rather shrunk. For the first time in a while, I have been thinking about why we all feel we have to spend so much money at Christmas.

A while back, I did a post on home-made gifts. Home made gifts can help you to ease your cash flow a little. I also think that it's a good idea to cut out unnecessary gifts. Gift-giving should be limited to close family and your partner; do we really need to be receiving gifts at Christmas from more than about 5 people?? Excessive gift giving is just a way to be more materialistic than we already are and find an excuse to shop.

A good idea is to combine a home made gift with a small bought gift. For instance, why not make use of special offers and get a few books and then give people a book and a home made gift. Another idea is to make your Christmas cards yourself. Buy some coloured card and cut out humorous pictures from old magazines and newspapers. Stick them on the card and add a funny caption.

Food is always a great home made gift to receive. Another good idea is something that I saw in The Guardian today. It sounds crazy but you can "knit" jewellery for the women in your life. You will need to know how to knit (easy to learn, just google it) and then you will need metal wire and some beads.

Instructions:

1. Thread all the beads that you want to use onto your wire. To work out how many beads to use multiply the amount of stitches per row by the length of the bracelet in centimetres (eg if you are doing a six stitch wide, 12cm long bracelet, I'd thread at least 72 beads on).

2. Cast on as many stitches as you think want and knit one row. As you knit the first stitch of the second row, bring one of the beads up to your needles and knit it into the fabric. Repeat for every stitch of the second row.

3. Continue knitting every odd row without beads and every even row with beads - this will ensure all the beads stay on the same side of the bracelet.

4. Once the bracelet or choker is long enough, cast off then fix a jewellery clasp to either end of it.

The end result looks pretty good and would make a great gift for someone.

Roxy Music 'If there's something'

2009-11-05T17:46:00.006Z

I haven't really got a reason for posting this song other than just to share the magic. Wait until about 2 minutes into it and then the tempo completely changes and it suddenly takes off. I found it through that film 'Flashbacks of a fool'. Not a bad movie. When you listen to this you can sort of see why the girl who was dating Bryan Ferry's son switched over to dating Bryan Ferry himself. A bit of old age is nothing in comparison to being with a musical genius.

Negative Space by Noma Bar

2009-11-04T06:57:00.006Z

These designs by Noma Bar are incredible and thought-provoking.

Jewellery in Jordan

2009-10-31T10:26:00.012Z

On a recent trip to Jordan, I decided to us the opportunity to buy a bit of new jewellery. Whenever you go abroad, it's worth having a quick look at the jewellery as in many countries it can be considerably cheaper and different to the jewellery on offer in your hometown.

If you are in Jordan visiting Petra then you will probably have quite a few opportunities to buy jewelry from the local Bedouins. This is worth doing as some of their jewelry is beautiful and unlike what you can perhaps get at home. The jewelry on offer in Petra tends to be made of rocks and glass. Agate is commonly used as well as moonstone and coloured glass. It is likely that the rocks are imported but even so, the jewellery is handmade. I took the opportunity to buy a blue beaded bracelet and a multi-coloured glass necklace from a lovely man just near Shobak castle (not in Petra but on the route to Petra from Amman). It cost me only 5JD (approx 5 euros) for both items. The price was lower than what you would probably pay in Petra itself. No matter if the price they first offer you is something that you are happy with, it is still good to bargain at least 10% off the price. The reason for this is that I genuinely have found that Middle Eastern people respect you more if you don't take the first price and it tends to give you an opportunity to have a chat. Obviously, for some items you will need to really haggle over and I will be writing a post later about how to haggle.

During my trek around the Petra site, I saw a wide range of jewellery ranging from basic beaded necklaces to more ornate cuff bracelets. The beaded jewellery does tend to be quite basic but it's always useful to have and you will be giving your money to people who will appreciate it which is better than buying a string of beads from the high street. The silver cuffs are beautiful and although I did not buy one, I am pretty sure that I could have bought one for about 10JD.

When I returned to the capital city of Jordan, Amman, I really got my jewellery shopping on. King Faisal street contains all the main jewelry stores and is labelled on maps as the location of jewellery market. When buying more expensive jewellery, I definitely recommend doing as much browsing as you can - do not buy from the first shop you go into!

First, I had a good look at all the jewelry on offer and tried to get an idea of the level of quality on offer and the price ranges available. Most of the jewellery in Amman tended to be yellow gold - very yellow gold is not popular in most western european countries because it is not overly flattering to pale skin. However, the very yellow colour shows that is high quality gold and if you can carry it off, it is definitely worth buying. It's vibrant and much cooler than the pale, insipid gold that is normally available. Personally, if I could wear it without looking jaundiced, I would have got lots of it as it was reasonably priced and exotic.

Instead I opted to get a woven bracelet with strands of rose gold, silver and yellow gold. Generally rose gold is flattering to most skin types and is also unusual. After a bit of a chitchat we managed to reach a price we all liked and I walked away with a gem at a good price. The quality could have been better but at the price offered, it was still a bargain and it will definitely bring back memories of Arabia when I wear it.

I then decided to invest in a bit of silver for everyday wear. Silver is not so popular here which makes perfect sense as silver is too bland for the gorgeous brown skin of the locals. Quite a few shops did try to trick me into buying very poor quality jewellery at rather inflated prices. When you are not sure about an item, just say that you want to browse a bit more and compare the product to similar ones in other shops. You won't regret taking your time as there is nothing worse than taking a piece home and finding out it's badly glued and damaged.

I settled on two delicate silver bracelets which, after some intense haggling, I got at a great price. I also picked up two gorgeous pairs of earrings which were of a very good quality and a good price.

Scurrying home with my swag, I felt very happy with my purchases and so will you if you take the time to buy jewellery abroad.

Best music videos ever: Danger! High voltage

2009-10-23T18:24:00.004+01:00

The video for this song by Electric Six is brilliant. It's a perfect example of the power of facial expressions. As someone commented, it's always good when a video goes with the song and is original. Too many people opt for the easy option of getting a few 'dancers' to gyrate in skimpy clothes or if it's a female performer then she's usually the one doing the gyrating.

Famous Jewellery Wearers

2009-10-22T14:30:00.011+01:00

We've already covered Mr T., an iconic jewellery wearer by most people's standards. Second in this series called "Famous Jewellery Wearers" is going to be Mike D from the Beastie Boys.

The Beastie Boys are hip hop icons, famous for their music, attitudes and look. The look most associated with the Beastie Boys was Mike D's wearing of the Volkswagen emblems. Between 1986 and 1987 owners of Volkswagens suffered from fans of the Beastie Boys stealing their hood emblems. The VW badge became known as a symbol of lawless cool. It became such an issue that Volkswagen began offering free emblems to people who wanted them in order to protect owners of their cars.

As an owner of a VW, I'd prefer if people didn't copy this trend but I do think that it shows that a lot of the time, being a jewellery icon doesn't involve spending a lot of money. It just involves doing something original. Let me know who springs to mind when you think of famous jewellery wearers or jewellery icons.

In the shadows

2009-10-21T13:29:00.004+01:00

A Tokyo born jewellery designer has revealed a revolutionary jewellery idea. The Central St. Martins educated designer has come up with a line of jewellery that projects shadows onto your body. Her collection, called Cinematography , is made of metal mesh. Maiko Takeda drills holes into the metal by hand to creat trompe l'oeil effect.
Maiko Takeda says that the concept of the jewellery is that the shadows themselves become the jewellery. Here are some examples of her work:I certainly think that Takeda has designed something truly original.

Best music videos ever: November Rain

2009-10-21T11:45:00.006+01:00

As a bit of light entertainment for you when visiting my blog, I am introducing a series called 'Best music videos ever'. Every now and then I will post a music video that in my opinion is one of the best ever. Feel free to leave a comment on what videos you think should be included.
Today it's a classic - Guns 'n' Roses with November Rain

Filigree Jewellery in Essaouira

2009-10-20T08:40:00.011+01:00

Filigree involves interlacing and soldering strands of gold or silver to create your design. One of the best places to buy filigree jewellery is in the harbour town of Essaouira in Morocco.

Located on Morocco's Atlantic coast, Essaouira is well worth a visit and differs entirely from the bustling metropolis that is Marrakesh. You can get there by flying into Marrakesh and then getting a taxi onto Essaouira. The journey is long but is an adventure in itself and helps to keep Essaouira safe from the hordes. However, try to get a taxi to yourself. My friend and I found ourselves crammed into a taxi and were in fact stopped by the police part way through the journey and had to all have our passports checked.

Essaouira is a walled city lost in time. The streets are still populated by people wearing traditional hooded robes - slightly scary when encountered down a dark alleyway at night. We stayed in a traditional riad run by a French couple. The place was beautifully decorated and incredibly cheap.

Essaouira has a large sweeping beach where Byron is said to have ridden his horses. There is also what looks like the remains of a castle in the sea on the edge of the beach which is said to have inspired Jimi Hendrix to write his song 'Castles made of sand'.

In the sixties, legends such as Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix visited the town and took part in local music events. Music is one of the most memorable aspects of Essaouira as it has many shops which sell some of the best North African music you can buy. It also plays host to the Gnaoua World Music Festival. In the forties, Orson Welles filmed 'Othello' in Essaouira - he described his time in Essaouira as "One of the happiest times I've ever known".

You get the picture - Essaouira is a place that is brimming with creativity and soul. The people are gentle and intelligent, they exchange text books with one another. When chatting to a shop owner, he told me that the only thing that he envied about living in England was the standard of education as he loved his life of creating art and hanging out with friends on the beach in Essaouira. Who can blame him! It makes you feel ashamed of all the British people who make no use of their educational opportunities.

If you're buying jewellery, surely it is better to buy something handmade by someone who is part of a place with such a history. Essaouira filigree is delicate and reasonably priced (you will need to haggle). The choice of filigree jewellery in Essaouira is vast! You can also buy leather goods, scarves (if you meet a guy from Mali selling scarves say hi to him from the two english girls who bought so many scarves that he started to get suspicious that we were going to set up a shop), spices, perfumes and wood carvings.

Let me know if you've been to Essaouira or if you're planning to go...

Jenga comes to life

2009-10-19T14:19:00.007+01:00

This is the recently unveiled Interlace residential complex in Singapore. It is designed to form a vertical "village" with gardens throughout, including on the roofs.

The Interlace is a revolutionary living concept for Singapore as apartment complexes tend to be of the tall, grey tower style.

I certainly know that I would like to try living in The Interlace.

Revenge served hot

2009-10-19T09:25:00.008+01:00

Women can buy their own jewellery but for some women nothing beats being given it.

According to the news, a woman in America went to extraordinary lengths to show her husband the importance of gifts. She was given some jewellery by her common-law husband and, for

whatever reason, he took the jewellery back to the store. In a fit of rage the woman took his goldfish and fried them. By the time the police arrived she had eaten three of them.

Not sure who got punished more here, him or the goldfish. It certainly doesn't seem right to kill them over a few bits of jewellery.

Pity da fool and stay in school

2009-10-16T10:59:00.011+01:00

The A team is being remade. Why? If anyone wants to watch the A Team they can just watch the original. I know that good ideas are running out when it comes to movies but seriously, no one could possible remake the A Team well. It was sheer genius and it can never be recreated. When I think of the A Team what springs to mind is B.A. Baracus. The man who defined the A Team.

Mr T was a man who could do jewellery.

This Halloween when you're dressing up how about paying homage to Mr T and dressing like him.

First, you will require a very small waistcoat. It needs to be childsize unless you are stacked like Mr T. I would recommend the one on this page http://www.babybiker.co.uk/category.php?display-category=33 as he usually wore a leather one but a gold one would do perfectly too. Alternatively go topless but make sure you've got the chest rug to suit.

The next most important part of Mr T was the hair. He says he was inspired by a Mandinka warrior - he wanted to be true to his African origins. The hair is a bit tricky. If you're up for it you could actually create his hair by shaving the sides of your hair off. Alternatively, you can get a wig like this http://www.starwarskingdom.com/Mr.-T-Wig-for-ATeam-Mowhawk/M/B001DNJYJQ.htm

It's also a good idea to start growing some facial hair in advance.

For the bottom half of your outfit you should get some army trousers from an army surplus store - look them up in your phone book. Add a large blingin belt. The other option is lycra leggings but you've got to have the bum for it.

The final and most important ingredient is the jewelry. Mr T didn't buy expensive jewelry, he just had a lot of it. I would recommend going to a hardware store and getting a few gold plug chains and a few gold security chains. A few of these would be good http://www.justbeads.co.uk/curb-chain-8x4mm-gold-plated-50cm-p-123.html

You can make the medallions using some cardboard painted gold with glitter on them.

Whatever you do, don't paint yourself brown if you are white. It's offensive and unnecessary. Anyone can channel Mr T, whatever your skin colour.

So there you have it. This year lets all dress as Mr T and pay homage to his brilliance which will never be replaced. As the great man said, "Be somebody...or be somebody's fool!".

Top Five home made gifts

2009-10-16T07:31:00.009+01:00

Ok so there's a recession etc etc and we should all be out there making gifts for each other and not spending our money. I don't know about you but I am fed up of being told that if I make gifts or buy from charity shops then I can weather the recession. Normally these lines are said by people who know nothing about financial difficulties or finance in general.

On a different note though you should consider making home made gifts because they are fun, personal and useful for when your cash flow is a bit tight. This top five list only contains items that someone would genuinely enjoy receiving and that someone with basic artistic skills could make. You will have to buy some stuff to do them.

1. Sentimental photo frame.
Yes you will have to buy a photo frame but nowadays with shops like Primark and Ikea that shouldn't cost too much. You will then need to find a friend who has a printer that can print photos or pay out for the print out of a photo. On the plus side though you can spend a few happy hours searching for a particularly touching photo. This gift is guaranteed to be appreciated as it shows thought, love and will bring back happy memories. Alternatively, if you are giving this gift to a friend or sibling, perhaps you should dig out their most embarrassing photo and put it in a nice cheesy frame. Something like this would work:

2. Bead bracelet.
Buy some cheap but attractive beads or recycle some from old jewellery that you no longer wear. Buy some elasticated string (go to a craft store). Arrange the beads on the string in an attractive design. Tie a knot. Put a blob of glue or clear nail varnish on the knot to seal it. Great gift for little girls and big girls - everyone loves jewelry.

3. Fudge

This is a great recipe http://www.waitrose.com/recipe/Vanilla_Fudge.aspx

Put it in a nice box with a hand made card.

4. Your time

Offer one night of free babysitting to people who have children. Offer to cook dinner on a night of your friend's choice. If you have a skill in something then offer to give a tutorial in it. It's surprising how many people don't know how to use excel or how to sew. This is a perfect gift to give if you are a student and have no money.

5. Make a hamper

Get a small cardboard box from your local supermarket. Wrap it in attractive paper. Revisit your supermarket and buy lots of things that they would like. They don't have to be expensive. For example you can get them things that only you know they like such as polos, earl grey, coconut body lotion, figs - whatever you want. Hampers are great to receive and can be a gift you enjoy for a long time. Plus hampers are usually very expensive to buy ready-made. Hampers are also a great gift for men.

So that's my top five list. I will be adding more to it soon.

Gorillas in the mist

2009-10-15T12:33:00.006+01:00

Jewelry for men is always a hard one. Some love to see a nice forearm accessorized with a bit of bling but many think it’s a bit effete. Well it turns out that in Hollywood someone else has been pondering this dilemma too and they’ve come up with a ‘solution’. I bet you’re expecting it to be some kind of renowned jewelry designer such as H. Stern. Nope. It’s that exceptionally talented designer who has been plying at her trade for decades – yes it’s Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Turns out playing Meadow Soprano gives you an insight into what men want.

Whilst working on the set of Entourage, Jamie-Lynn somehow discovered that what men need is a charm bracelet. Now most people wouldn’t associate charm bracelets with alpha males but apparently that’s who’s buying them. http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/monkey-business-alpha-male-charm-bracelets/ Yes it does look like a plug chain with a gorilla attached but wait it starts at $500 so it must be worth it – right? I mean if all those alpha males on entourage are loving it then it’s gotta be good. Oh and the fact that it has a gorilla attached is a very subtle way of sending the message – me big man, you little man. Erm… wait there lies the rub. Are there any alpha males on the entourage set? I mean I know these days having a lot of money qualifies you as an alpha male but really…since when did a bunch of immature, actors count as alpha males?? So I propose that yes charm bracelets are great for men. But maybe only for men who are not alpha men.